This beautifully illustrated picture book describes a young Mauritanian girl’s desire to wear a malafa, a colorful cloth worn over the head and body, just as her mother and other women in her life do. A refreshingly positive view of this oftenmaligned Muslim apparel.

I really enjoyed this book. I think "Deep in the Sahara" would be a great book to read to my students in my classroom because it shows students a culture that they might not know about. It is extremely important to read diverse books in the classroom. I also like how all through the book Lalla is learning all about her own culture and at the end she truly understands the meaning of the malafa and her mother gives her one for herself. It shows students that there is so much to learn about their own culture and other cultures too. ( )

This book really shows students and the main character the meaning of a malafa. The book explores different ways to show what a malafa is for. Lalla learns that it means everything that she thinks, but it mainly means faith. I like how the book shows some repetition with Lalla's learning about the malafa. ( )

This book talks about a different culture that I am not familiar with. What I like most about this book is that it discusses a different culture but shows a moral of the culture as well. I truly enjoy how this book shows the culture and I would recommend this to anyone. ( )

This book occurs in the Sahara and is diverse in location, culture, and religion. It is a book about a young girl who wishes to receive her malafa, the Muslim head-dress garment. The girl lists many reasons for her yearning for a malafa, but until the she recites the right reason, she does not receive it. The book offers us insight into the reasons why Muslim women wear this garment, and a little insight to the Muslim culture. ( )